My Queen
by MargaritaDaemonelix
Summary: Over the course of Alteran history, there have been three queens named Eve: Empress Eve of the Golden Age, Nemesis the assassin and Eve, the sole surviving Nasod after Altera's doom. Over the course of Hamel's history, there have been three princes named Chung Seiker: the Iron Paladin of Senace, the Deadly Chaser of the underworld and Chung, the last hope of Hamel.
1. Chapter 1: Empress

MY QUEEN

Chapter 1: Empress

By MargaritaDaemonelix

 _She did her best everyday, but when the whole world came crashing down on her shoulders, he was right there, ready to help her._

"Milady! Milady, there's an ambassador here from Hamel today."

"Hamel? Send word to the chefs to prepare a banquet fit for the occasion. We will welcome the ambassador with open arms."

The Nasod bowed. "Of course, milady."

Empress Eve of Altera sighed. She'd only been empress for a week, but her day was only getting more and more hectic. Oberon, her butler, had been called away to be measured for new garments, and Ophelia, her handmaiden, was working overtime to cover the open spot. Her bodyguard Ferdinand was trying his best to help, but…

"Ferdinand! I instructed you specifically to stay away from the tea!" Snapped Eve when he shattered another teacup. "I'm sorry, milady," he said, bowing awkwardly. "I will do my best to not destroy anymore… Teacups."

"MILADY!" Screamed Ophelia, rushing into the room and knocking over another teacup. Luckily, Eve's royal drones, Kuro and Shiro, managed to catch this one in time. "It's not an ambassador that's coming, it's the crown prince of Hamel!" Panicked the young Nasod. Eve's mind stumbled, but she managed to keep the pokerface she was so well known for.

"Tell those on cleaning duty that the palace must be spotless," she said, standing up from her throne. "I do not want the prince of Hamel to come to Altera and see our palace in tatters."

With those words out, she flicked her hand, motioning for her drones to follow. They opened the small set of doors behind the throne for her, leading to her private dressing room. Ophelia followed behind her queen, ready to assist.

Calmly, Eve removed the pure white, silky overcoat she was known to wear in her kingdom. Her predecessor, Empress Adalia, would have condemned the coat, but she was fond of wearing it. It had been with her since she had been named Adalia's successor. Upon Adalia's sudden death, she had been required to wear a certain white dress on all occasions, but as empress of Altera, she refused.

It simply wasn't in Eve's nature.

"Your majesty," said Ophelia, holding out the beautiful white dress that Eve loathed so much. It was beautiful, she'd admit that much, but she hated it nonetheless. The last time she had seen anyone but herself wear it, it was at Adalia's final banquet before her death. She hated the dress, because it wasn't hers to begin with. It would always be Adalia's, in her mind.

She sighed and removed the long stockings that she always wore with her overcoat. "Thank you, Ophelia," she murmured, pulling on the ivory dress and long silvery boots that went with it. Ophelia gently pulled down the lazy buns that Eve had done around her sound receivers and began to braid her hair. "Ophelia, after you braid it, could you please wrap my hair around my sound receivers again? Thank you," she said, trying to set aside Adalia's signature hairstyle. She needed to be independant.

 _Adalia, what shall I do?_ She prayed silently in her head as Ophelia carefully pulled her silver hair around the sound receivers and pinned it in place. "Your majesty, shall I retrieve the coronation tiara?" Asked Ophelia, pulling up a hologram of the Nasod tiara that had been passed down since the first Nasods had walked Elrios. It was too fancy for Eve, covered in El gems of all the colours of the spectrum. She shook her head. "No. My everyday tiara will suffice."

Ophelia looked alarmed. "Milady?" She spluttered, the hologram flickering and fading as Eve set the tiara she wore everyday in her hair. Far in the distance, trumpets played. "Presenting his royal majesty, Prince Seiker of Hamel!"

Eve turned to the door. "Ophelia, please do not worry. I will be fine," she said before opening the door once again, ready to face her guest, no matter what.

 _Adalia, guide me._

* * *

To say that Chung Seiker was scared would be an understatement.

He was terrified, almost to point where he'd pull up his Destroyer and just bust his way out of the stupid carriage. The the only thing that was keeping him together was the promise Father had made him before he left.

"If you go on this trip, I'll let you marry that girl from Sander you've been drooling over."

Well, that had certainly gotten Chung's gears a-running. He'd practically hopped into the carriage. That had been nearly two days ago. Now, he was about to explode from nervousness.

As he stepped into the Altera royal palace, he couldn't help but stare at each and every Nasod, how each one was different, yet looked so human. He also noticed a lot of blinds had been shut, and curtains drawn. The Altera flag was at half-post. Someone important had died recently.

BRUUUU BRUUU BRUUUU! "Presenting his royal majesty, Prince Seiker of Hamel!" Announced a herald. Chung began to shudder. What if the empress got mad at him and decided to execute him? Would Father declare war on Altera? A thousand unanswered questions flooded into his mind as he pulled up the mental image of Empress Adalia, with her jet-black hair and her blazing blue eyes, and prepared himself for tragedy.

As he rounded the corner to the throne room, his heart nearly stopped. That was not Empress Adalia on the throne.

Instead, a young Nasod girl, with silver hair wrapped in two braided buns, sat stiffly on the throne, wearing Adalia's white dress and silver boots, and(for some reason) a simple, tiny silver tiara. "Greetings, Prince Seiker," said the girl simply as she stood up, and Chung realized that sadly, she was taller than him. "I am Empress Eve of Altera. It is a pleasure to have you here."

For some reason, Chung felt the need to kneel down and kiss her hand, so he did, dropping his Destroyer cannon to one side. "Milady," he said, a blush covering his cheeks, "I am Prince Seiker of Hamel, the Iron Paladin of Senace." Had he not been staring at his feet, he would have noticed a light blush spread across Eve's cheeks too.

"I understand that you are not familiar with me as the empress," continued Eve, having regained her composure. "The late Empress Adalia named me her successor six years ago, but I believe I wished for no grand ceremony at the time."

"Empress Adalia's… Dead?" Blinked Chung in disbelief. Out of all the people-Nasods-he could have imagined to have died, Adalia was not one of them.

"Yes. The late Empress suffered from what she insisted was mild overheating. However, in reality, one her vital circuits was malfunctioning, and it eventually led to her entire system short-circuiting," said Eve, a hint of sadness in her voice. "I'm… I'm so sorry," said Chung, quite shocked. "Empress Adalia was a great ruler, and she was really nice too. Is there any way I could… Visit her?"

Eve looked up from her feet. "In fact, yes," she said before turning to one of her subordinates. "Prepare refreshments for our guests from Hamel. I will be taking the Prince to the archives."

A few gasps followed this, but no one really reacted. Probably because that's the Empress you're talking to. Eve nodded at Chung. "Follow me."

And because he really had nothing better to do, he did.

* * *

"These are the Royal Archives," said Eve, her voice echoing into the glassy chamber as Chung followed behind her, mesmerized by what he was seeing. The entire room seemed to be filled with beautiful green light, always moving and dancing from different angles.

"Whenever an Alteran Emperor or Empress dies, his or her code is registered into his or her own unique archive space," said Eve, gesturing to a floating console with a holographic image of an ancient Nasod emperor hovering above it. "Each archive is saved so that future generations of Nasods may learn necessary virtues." Chung looked up into the room to see thousands of consoles, all floating in the air with holographic Nasods above them. "In this sense, Nasods can also come to pay tribute to the deceased royalty. The Altera Royal Palace allows all Nasods to enter the Royal Archives for this reason."

She suddenly stopped, Chung bumping into her from her abrupt movement. "Sorry," he said nervously, moving away. Eve blinked. That human's armor is worthy of investigation. "This… This is Empress Adalia's archive," she managed, stepping into the faint light of the hologram. She knelt in front of it, clasping her hands in a light prayer. Chung knelt beside her, not knowing what to say. Finally, he managed to pray for Adalia's soul to be happy.

"And here is the archive space they will have for me when I… Pass on," said Eve, finishing with some difficulty. It was a blank console, not emitting any code, but it already had an image of Eve on her coronation day floating above it. "That crown you're wearing-that's not the coronation crown," noticed Chung. "Yes. I prefer this one," replied Eve.

Chung smiled. "Keep it on. You look better in it," he said.

Eve felt her interior temperature shoot up three degrees. What was it about this prince that had triggered such a reaction? "Prince Seiker-" She began, but Chung cut her off. "Just Chung is fine," he assured her. "... Chung," she said, feeling somewhat relieved. "If I am to call you Chung, then I insist you call me Eve."

Again, Chung smiled. "Of course, milady."

* * *

"Eve, when Empress Adalia… When Nasods pass on, what do you do with them? Do you just bury them in a special plot, or do you wrap them in cloth, or… What do you do with them?"  
Eve and Chung were sitting in Eve's study(workshop might be a closer term), sipping tea and eating petit fours. Eve shook her head. "Nasod are not human, nor do we have organic compounds in our bodies. We have no use for decomposition."

She stood up and retrieved an ornate glassy box with a glowing silver orb hovering inside. "This is the heart of Empress Adalia," she explained. Chung watched in wonder as Eve set it back on the shelf where she'd picked it up. "All Nasod have hearts. At the very core of the heart is an El gem. When common Nasod come to the end of their lives, they travel with companions to the Return Plains. Beneath the Return Plains lies Altera's core, where all Nasod are created. There, they can rest.

"Because the heart of the Nasod are stronger and more dense than the bodies of the Nasod, the heart will sink into the earth to return to the Core. The metal from the bodies of the Nasod will be absorbed by the Core to make new Nasod. In this way, Nasod can be reborn with healthy bodies."

"Then what about your personalities?" Asked Chung. "If you're going to be reborn, aren't you supposed to have the same personality?"

Eve tilted her head. "Personality values are recorded within Nasod code," she stated blankly. Chung mentally slapped a palm to his forehead as he remembered that he was talking to an emotionless android, for Lady El's sake. "I meant, how are you supposed to be reborn, if your personality is going to be different?" Asked Chung.

"... There is a legend among the Nasod," began Eve, "that the last Nasod to have the heart one possesses aside from oneself will transfer all his or her morals and values to the current bearer. If that is the case, I… Most likely, I will not pass on any morals or values."

Her pained expression twisted Chung's heart, and suddenly, he could have sworn she looked sad. "Hey, Eve," he tried, wracking his brain for some way to cheer the Nasod empress up, "in Hamel, they say that each soul is connected to a star in the sky, and when a soul decides to be reborn, there is a shooting star." He smiled, hoping that it would elevate her mood.

Eve sipped her tea and picked up a cherry-topped dessert. "I suppose these are just common folklore, designed to make children happy," she said, enjoying a bite of the petit four. "We should most likely be heading back to the throne room. I assume we have a negotiated peace agreement?"

Chung smiled as he stood up, giving Eve his hand. "Yeah. Peace."

She took it, and delicately rose. "Please do return to Altera in the near future, Chung," she said. "I would like to study your armor sometime."

"Only if we get to have tea again," countered Chung. Eve smiled, a rose blooming in the barren, snowy land. "Yes, we will have tea."

* * *

"Milady Eve! We're being attacked!" Exclaimed Oberon as he rushed into the throne room, nearly tripping over his own feet. "By whom?!" Demanded Eve, flying off her throne and onto her feet. "Demons from the south. Ferdinand has gone to intercept them," reported Ophelia, flying in with a string of grenades around her waist and shoulder. "Kuro, Shiro, let's go. We have an army to stop," said the empress, walking out of her throne room.

A young Nasod girl, Eve's appointed successor, came running up. "Milady Eve, let me help!" Begged the Nasod. Eve shook her head. "No, Rania. You must stay behind. If I should not survive this battle, you are to become the next empress of Altera," she instructed. "Go to the emergency shelters. Bring who you see fit. Protect yourself. I will do the battling for all Nasods today.

With that said, Eve looked out the open window into the fray below. "Ophelia. Send a message to Hamel. Request for Ch-Prince Seiker," she commanded. "Tell him that this is an urgent situation, and that his abilities as the Iron Paladin of Senace are required, immediately!"

She swung an arm out, commanding Kuro and Shiro to smash the window open, and jumped out, ready sacrifice her being for her people.

A cackle rose through the air as a demon stabbed another Nasod through the chest. "Altera will fall today," said Zenith, leader of the demon army, "and I will-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence. Ferdinand had just smacked him in the face with his blade, sending him sprawling across the ground. He tried to stand up, but an electric pulse jittered through his body as Ophelia shot lighting from her fingertips. For good measure, Oberon ran in and slashed at the demon with his sword. Zenith stood up, slashed and battered.

"Hehe… You think you can fight me… DEVIL'S CORKSCREW!" He yelled, sending the three loyal servants of Eve into a hellish tornado. Ferdinand came crashing out first, his body broken and beaten. Ophelia managed to land on her feet, but the impact broke her legs, and she crumpled.

The last to be thrown out was Oberon, landing on his back beside Ophelia. "I'm sorry… Ophelia, I've always loved… You…" He managed before lying still. The still-living Ophelia, after checking her vitals, hovered up painfully, all her remaining grenades in hand. "I'm sorry, too, Oberon, I never hated you," she whispered, sending her grenades at Zenith. "I love you too."

She released all the electricity from her body in one static jolt at the demon before falling beside her two companions. Zenith surveyed the area. The only thing that stood between him and the Altera palace was… Nothing. He shuddered as an aftershock of Ophelia's shock ran through his spine, tingling at the bruise Ferdinand had left on his cheek and the open cuts on his arms from Oberon's attack. He shrugged it off, turning back to the castle.

A lone figure, clothed in white, had appeared. Empress Eve stood beside the broken bodies of her three closest companions, a horrible terror spreading across her face.

"I do not know what you intend to accomplish here, but I assure you, it will not work," she said, her voice steely as she typed on her hologram, faster than ever. Zenith didn't even have time to look as a giant fist came dropping out of the sky and smashing him into the ground.

Eve turned, thinking her job was done, until Zenith managed to throw the giant fist off. "Hehe… Shall we play a little game, little queen?" He cackled. Eve's eyes flared with a dangerous light. "Your call."

The giant fist flew up again, continuously pounding Zenith and smacking him off his feet as he blasted Eve with dark energies. Finally, at his wits' end, he grabbed her as he avoided the fist, and prepared another dark attack-the final blow.

"I will not tolerate your impudence any longer!" Yelled Eve, struggling to type. The fist went higher up, and up…

...Before crashing down with an almighty boom.

For the moment, the battlefield was silent.

* * *

The fist rolled aside as Zenith crawled out from underneath the wreckage. He could see Eve's battered form, barely just still breathing. He summoned his remaining energy, ready to end it for once and for all.

And yet again, something smacked him in the face so hard that he went flying. "You monster," growled Chung as he stood, his Destroyer in hand. "You killed Oberon, Ophelia and Ferdinand, and you almost killed Eve. What kind of a sick monster are you?"

"A demon," sneered Zenith, charging his power for another Devil's Corkscrew. Chung pressed a button on his armor, which flipped up his helmet and faceguard, and jumped into the air, praying to the El lady. "DOOM STRIKE!"

And of a second time, the battlefield was silent.

Chung stood by the demon's body for only a moment before running to the wreck of the fist again. "Oh my Lady El, Eve!" He shouted, removing his faceguard to see her better. "Tell me where it hurts. Do you need help? What am I saying? Of course you need help!"

"Chung," she whispered, reaching for his face. In his moment of panic, Chung had forgotten that she was alive. "Eve," he dared to breathe. "It's over, Chung, it's finally over."

"Yeah, the attack's over. We won," replied Chung. Eve shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant, Chung. When I brought the Heaven's Fist down on Zenith and myself… It ruptured a large portion of my vital circuits. I'm dying, Chung."

Just those three words-I'm dying, Chung- brought the world crashing down on Hamel's crown prince. "What?" He stammered, holding her tightly to him. "No, Eve, you're not dying! You can be fixed! I'll fix you myself if I have to!"

Again, Eve shook her head, this time weakly. "Chung… My time is up," she said, her breath coming in shallow gasps. "... Please, Chung, make sure my code makes it to the Archives."

Chung's eyes swam. "Eve, you can't just give up now! Not after everything you've done!" He cried, shaking her a little. As he did, a piece of her arm fell out, bent and ragged. A stream of oil spilled out, staining her ivory dress.

"Chung… Be happy… Remember what I told you about the hearts of the Nasod?" She whispered. Chung nodded, tears pouring out of his eyes at this point. "Perhaps we'll meet again in another life. Maybe we can be happy there, and maybe you could tell me about your armor…"

Closing her eyes, Eve let herself go limp in Chung's arms. "I'll always love you, Chung," she managed before her last breath drifted out of her. As Chung watched in horror, the lights from her eyes went dark, and even the El gem in her forehead lost its glow. "No… Eve!" He cried, cradling her still form. "Why? Why now?"

And indeed it was as if his entire world had just crashed all around him. As he wept, Chung swore he could hear a voice-Eve's delicate voice, full of life.

"Chung, I will be by your side. Always."

And somehow, amidst all the war and blood around him, Chung for a reason to smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Nemesis

MY QUEEN

Chapter 2: Nemesis

By MargaritaDaemonelix

 _They say that, after death, the soul becomes a star in the sky until it is ready to be born again. On the night a soul comes down to earth, a shooting star streaks the sky, and a new life is born._

 _Not all are born into peace, however._

 _Some are born to be weapons, tools of war. Some never live to see their true potential. Some… Some choose to save and kill, all at once._

 _Those are the truly brave._

"Her majesty on deck!"

An armada of Nasod warriors saluted as their captain walked between their lines, a lithe figure in a gothic black dress. The glowing blue El gem on her forehead indicated that this was no common Nasod, and her regal posture and serene expression only carried her nobility further.

This was Queen Eve, ruler of Altera, and the rightful queen of the Nasod race in these tumultuous times. Hamel had recently been swarmed by demons, and because of an alliance one of Eve's predecessors had made, she would need to help. Her own kind was struggling as the situation was, but under her command, they would thrive just fine.

"I am aware that the Hamel army is struggling to hold their own in the siege they are undergoing," she said delicately, her silver hair swaying in the wind, "and that they require our assistance. However, as the rulers of Hamel have not openly requested any reinforcements, the Nasod race of Altera will not be sending any. Thank you."

Turning around, Eve walked smoothly to her executive suite aboard the Circuit, her royal airship. It was how life went, she thought. Help did not come unless you said you needed it.

Her royal drones, Nike and Eris, floated behind her, awaiting her command. "Nike, tell whomever is at the helm that I desire rest in my sleeping quarters," she said loudly. Her white drone zipped away to relay the message. Sighing, Eve patted Eris on the head. "Please go open my wardrobe," she told the black drone, who chirped affectionately and flew off.

Eve glided smoothly into her room, Eris and Nike back from their errands. Her personal closet was opened, spewing out a good amount of steam, and as she gazed at the suit of armor inside, Eve couldn't help but feel a twinge of pride.

It was mandatory for a Nasod queen to have a coat of armor, but Eve refused at all costs to wear it in public. She prefered wearing her black gothic dress that she'd worn since the last ruler, King Benzene, had named her his successor, nearly a decade ago. She'd been a tiny Nasod when he'd first found her, wandering away from the nursery to sit by the Core, the mother of all Nasod, telling it about what she'd do to keep the demons away from Hamel when she was older. That was how King Benzene had found her, mumbling to the Core, half-asleep and lost.

Yet these days, she almost liked her armor better.

She shrugged off her black dress, pulling on a slimming white shirt and shorts edged with pink. Her drones brought to her the black metal pieces that she'd come to love and loath, and a delicate smile graced her lips as she assembled her alternate identity.

No one ever dared anger the queen of Altera these days, for those that did were dead within a week. Rumours from the bars in Altera and the nearby Feita was that Eve had an assassin working directly for her, a royal Nasod who had renounced her bloodline to satisfy her bloodlust. They called her Nemesis, queen of the Alteran Underworld.

Eve almost laughed as she thought about that. They were almost right, really. Just a little bit off.

Eve herself was Nemesis. In broad daylight, she'd play the innocent queen of Altera. When the stars came out, she became the queen of destruction. No one suspected a thing. Nothing at all.

When she was bored during the day, she'd plan out her night, where she'd go, which bars she'd hit, and who she'd kill. Her last mission had involved bringing someone's warm liver to someone else in a clear plastic baggie(which was admittedly gross) but the pay had been good. Eve needed the funds.

Of course it would all come down to the money in the end. Eve calmly sat at her vanity and let her drones comb out her hair and attach her flower clips to her lapels. Somehow, they reminded her of someone, someone she might have known a long time ago.

As pristine as always, Eve stood up, letting her windswept silver hair flow. For the heck of it, she let the blades on her back loose, remembering the time she'd accidentally done that while signing a peace treaty with the queen of the kingdom of… Was it the queen of Lurensia? Eve herself wasn't sure anymore. The world was so wide, and so troubled.

A flick of her hand was all Eve needed to call Nike and Eris to attention. Her personal window opened as she activated the hoverdrive installed in her feet, ready to go.

"Hello, world. Full Generate Mode, start."

* * *

"Good evening, sir, and what may I serve you?"

"A honey mead on the rocks, thanks."

The barkeep turned aside to pour the drink as Chung rummaged the pockets of his armor for some change to pay for it. He really didn't want to have to buy the stupid drink, but he couldn't just sit in the middle of the tavern and not order anything. It didn't seem right, not for an assassin.

The barkeep came back with the mead. "Here you go, sir," he said as Chung dropped a handful of coins on the bar and slid them over. Times were getting desperate, but nothing hit the spot like an iced honey mead. "Say, I heard a wolf howl tonight."

Chung twitched an eyebrow. That was code for… Someone had a job for him. "Are you positive?" He asked. "There aren't wolves living natively in Hamel."

The man smiled. "I am positive. Trust me. I have the recording upstairs."

Taking a sip of his drink, Chung followed the man up the stairs behind the bar. "Nice working with ya, mister Silent Wolf," smirked the barkeep. "This one wanted to stay downstairs. Nearly chopped mah head off trying to."

Chung waved it off, taking another sip of his mead. "Nothing I can't handle."

He opened the door. Inside, sitting at a lonely table was a young woman with dark skin, vibrant violet eyes, and cotton candy pink hair. "Good evening, mister Deadly Chaser," she said quietly. "Name," replied Chung bluntly, enjoying his drink. It was always unfortunate to let a mug of good mead go to waste, no matter how urgent the situation.

The woman smirked. "My name is Kaeli," she said, sipping her own mug of hard beverage. "Recently, someone killed the lord I work for."

Chung sighed. "You folks _really_ need to stop underestimating my talents," he muttered. Kaeli shook her head. "I believe _that someone_ was the famed assassin, Nemesis."

She smiled sheepishly as Chung squinted at her, trying to comprehend the sheer _gah_ of the situation. "You're asking me to kill the second most feared assassin in the underworld," he clarified. Kaeli nodded. "That is why I turned to you to kill her. They say the Deadly Chaser never misses his target. Don't make me doubt them."

She stood up, pulling a suitcase onto the table. "This is merely a twentieth of what I will be paying you," she said. Inside lay five hundred thousand Elrios Dollars. Chung grunted, but inside, he was jumping a little. A million ED was going to be good for Hamel's war. "I will confirm with you when I have her head," he said, picking up the suitcase. "Please do," whispered Kaeli, one of her hands snaking up Chung's shoulder. "I think we'd all sleep a little easier knowing Nemesis is dead."

… Was she trying to _seduce_ him? Chung grunted again. "Good evening, miss," he said, tearing himself away from the clingy woman and striding over to the window. Pulling it open, he slipped out before the woman could say anything.

Her violet eyes gleaming, Kaeli removed her hood, revealing a pair of pointy ears characteristic to elves-in her case, dark elves. "Oh yes," she cackled into her beer, "I think we'd all sleep a little easier knowing the two greatest threats to our reign are dead."

* * *

"Don't kill me," squeaked a young Phoru as a slim dark shadow hovered over it. The ghost of a smile appeared on Eve's lips. "No, I will not," she said, "but I do require information."

The Phoru nodded. "Anything, miss Nemesis!" It squeaked. "Indeed. Do you happen to know where the corrupted ruler of Elder is?" She hummed. Again, the terrified Phoru nodded. "He lives in the big castle, but he has a giant laboratory underground."

Eve raised an eyebrow, one of her few displays of emotion. "Elaborate," she pressed. "Eek! I mean, we Phoru think he's trying to replicate Nasod technology," stuttered the creature.

This was getting old. Eve drew a spear that she herself had designed and created, pointing it at the Phoru. _This_ was true Nasod technology. "Please tell me where this laboratory is. I wish to find it."

Suddenly, she was being tossed into the air as a stranger in a suit of white armor launched her up with a giant white cannon. "Are you okay, Phoru?" Asked the stranger, a male voice flowing out of his faceguard. "Yes," squeaked the Phoru. "Please save me from Nemesis, mister Deadly Chaser!"

Ah. So this was the assassin the commoners often hired-the Deadly Chaser. Some said he had a giant cannon, some said he wielded a pair of lightning-fast pistols. Eve smirked. She could take him on, any day. Most of these "assassin battles" weren't even a challenge to her.

The intricate white cannon dropped beside her. "Well, if it isn't Nemesis," said the voice again, echoing within the visor. Eve glared at him. "I would not be saying such things if I were you, mister Deadly Chaser," she said in complete monotone, something she'd picked up over time.

"Oh? And why so?" This male assassin didn't seem surprised. Eve suddenly lashed out, having stored her console beside her and typed like crazy when he wasn't looking. The strange man found himself being assaulted by a storm of metal shards.

"Because I say so," said Eve, now standing up and fully equipped with her entire arsenal. Nike and Eris floated beside her, while a fan of her Nasod spears flowed behind her like a peacock's tail. She could almost see the assassin she was meant to face trembling at the sight of her glory.

But he didn't. Instead, the stranger simply dropped his massive cannon, letting it roll into a bush, and pulled out the two silver pistols that so many claimed he fought with. "I'm assuming you're declaring war?" He teased.

Eve didn't wait to speak. She immediately launched herself into an all-out attack, aiming for the other assassin's heart. Her spears disappeared, only to be replaced by a giant atomic blaster. "Your call," she said as she let loose the plasma bullets she'd created and loaded in. The other ran around and shot individual bullets at her, trying to find some weakness in her defenses.

When a single bullet made it through Eve's drones and hit her armor, it left Eve surprised and a little dent in her armor. "Atomic Shield," she muttered under her breath. To the man's surprise, none of his next twenty bullets went through, and ended up being absorbed into the shield that Eve had called her drones to create. "I think this has gone on long enough," she said, pulling out a giant spear that she'd attached explosives to and jumping into the air. Once she was directly above the Deadly Chaser, she tossed the Judgement spear at him as hard as she could.

The spear exploded in front of his face, sending him flying back. When the dust cleared, Eve was standing with a foot on his chest, a normal spear in hand. "Let's see who you really are," she sneered, lifting his faceguard with the spear. She almost gasped.

Lying on the ground below her was a shota. A mildly tall and _darned hot_ shota, but nonetheless a shota. Eve could see her reflection in his blue eyes, dotted with paw print-shaped pupils. Two locks of his near-golden hair were stained a darker brown at the tips, as if they were ears.

In all, Eve couldn't kill this adorable shota. She could drain some information out of him first-that would teach him to try and play an adult's game.

"Which way, young Phoru?"

"This! This! Oh my El, officer, Nemesis-san and the Deadly Chaser are fighting each other!"

Eve immediately let her grip on the shota go. "We will meet again, _Deadly Chaser_ ," she said simply before activating a cloaking system and disappearing into the night. The other assassin put his gear back on and grabbed his cannon, and hid in a tree until the officers and the Phoru left.

Chuckling to himself, Chung pulled up the mental image he now had of Nemesis. "Well played, Nasod. It's an adult's game I'm playing, alright."

With that in mind, he jumped out of the tree, ready to find the nearest Cobo teleportation centre and get back to Hamel.

* * *

"Father!" Complained Chung as a servant combed his ever unruly hair, intending to brush it down completely. "Yes, Chung?" Smirked the king of Hamel, calmly watching his son's _torture_. "Do I really have to attend this ball?"

The king suddenly looked stern. "Chung," he said solemnly, "the young queen of Altera is attending this ball. Perhaps the connections between our kingdoms in the demon war will result in a marriage between the two of you. She is about your age, is she not?"

"FATHER!" Shrieked Chung, red all over. The servant behind him finished his hair, and, in retaliation, he shook it out, running out of the dressing room to hide in his own.  
If Nemesis was really under the queen of Altera's rule, he did not want to meet the queen, much less _marry_ her! It was too dangerous, and it would interfere with his double life as the indestructible Deadly Chaser of Hamel. Chung couldn't imagine a life without being the Deadly Chaser.

A herald blew a trumpet somewhere in the castle. "PRESENTING HER MAJESTY, QUEEN EVE OF ALTERA!"

Someone knocked on the door. "Your majesty, Prince Seiker," said one of the servants, "it's time to go. Your father awaits, and so does the queen of Altera."

Chung took in a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go."

Eve stood as stiffly as ever as she addressed the king of Hamel calmly. "I will assist your kingdom in any way possible," she said in the same monotone she'd addressed the Deadly Chaser in. "As long as both our kingdoms can survive, I will do all in my power to help, even if it means I will need to fight in person. I have no fear of the battlefield."

That last part came out a little more naturally than she'd wanted, but the king chuckled in agreement, pulling her out of her thoughts. "I do thank you very much, Queen Eve, for assisting Hamel and all of Senace," he said. "However, now is not the time to be talking about war. Now, we enjoy life and dance, while there is still the chance to."

He clapped his hands together twice. "Music!"

Lively music, inspired by the neighbouring kingdom of Sander, began to play. "Queen Eve, may I introduce you to my son, Prince Chung Seiker," said King Seiker, pulling Chung in front of him and effectively turning the young man bright red again. Chung bowed awkwardly, not daring to look the young queen in the face. "Milady," he stuttered, not noticing the way that Eve stared at his blonde hair and the so-called "ear-tips" that were so familiar to her.

"Prince Seiker," said Eve, curtsying politely. At the king and prince's stunned expressions, she blinked innocently. "I am a guest here, and I must not take advantage of your hospitality."

Chung looked her over and nearly choked. The queen in front of him was a dead ringer for the assassin that had tried to kill him last night. She even wore the same little white ribbon flower on her shoulder. Yet the more he looked at her, the more he found different. Nemesis had differently shaped sound receivers-they were white and round, with pink lines-whereas Eve's were conical, black, and striped with golden plating. Her hair flowed straight down her back, unlike Nemesis, who-

Well, Nemesis' hair was all tangled up in those blades of hers. It was impossible to tell.

At the same time, Eve was examining Chung, seeing the same reflective blue eyes that seemed to have paw prints on them. His blonde hair was as unruly as the previous night, albeit it seemed a little more… _Dressed_. Eve could see that once he was out of his armor, he wasn't really as tall as she'd thought he was, but his ivory suit helped boost his height a little. He was wearing the same red-lined blue scarf that he'd worn the previous night, and Eve found no reason to believe that the two were not one and the same. It was uncanny.

Chung swallowed down any fear of the destructive assassin he had, and smiled winningly at Eve. "May I have this dance, milady?"

Eve blinked again, processing the request. He was asking her to dance? The poor boy. He must have been out of his mind.

"Yes, please," she said before she'd actually thought about what to say. Chung picked her hand up delicately, and they began to dance.

It was quite unlike any other dance she'd ever been to. The smooth music seemed to echo in the back of her mind as Chung spun her around, his hands warm and gentle. Was he really the Deadly Chaser? It didn't seem like it. Eve felt like she was floating on a cloud. Everything was… Peaceful.

Eve remembered her advisers telling that the king of Hamel might try to request a marriage between her and the prince. For a moment, she tried to imagine what life married to this blonde teen would be like. Would she have to abandon her identity as Nemesis? Would he refuse because _she was_ Nemesis? Or would a client simply request his death, and leave her torn with guilt?

Chung watched in horror as Eve slipped out of his arms and crumpled to the ground. "Oh my El, your majesty!" He yelled, trying to clear the area to bring Eve aside. "Prince Seiker, I am alright," whispered Eve drowsily as Chung picked her up, intending to bring her to her royal suite. However, his clumsy hand brushed by her sound receptacle, and knocked the black cone off.

Underneath all along was the sound receiver that Chung attributed to Nemesis. Eve looked mortified. "Your majesty, I-" She tried to say, picking up the black cone and reattaching it underneath her hair. Chung now realized that he was holding a ticking time bomb in his arms, but he had to get her to somewhere she could rest.

"Will you be alright, Queen Eve?" He asked gently, avoiding her gaze. Eve nodded. "I will be alright. Thank you, Prince Seiker."

She made a movement that said _please let go of me_ , and Chung, not wanting to face her wrath, set her down softly. "I am sorry if I caused you any trouble," said Eve, bowing. Chung waved it off. "It's alright. I deal with a lot more trouble than-"

Suddenly, a shadow zipped across the room, slashing part of Chung's suit. When it tried to draw its blade across Eve's chest, however, the metal screeched. "Keke… Hello, young prince of Hamel," said a voice that Chung found all too familiar.

"Kaeli," he growled. The dark elf stepped out of the shadows, her ears now fully visible. "I knew I shouldn't have taken that job from you. You tried to set me up to kill Eve," realized Chung. "Like I said, it'd be great for everyone if Nemesis was gone," recalled Kaeli, "but you know what would be better? If the Deadly Chaser _and_ Nemesis were _both_ gone."

Eve glared at the dark elf. "Kaeli Camdyn," she identified, "leader of the dark elves, who support the demons. Prince Seiker, I believe you have taken a job from the wrong type of client."

"The intention was for the two of you to meet in combat," snickered Kaeli, her blades flashing again, "and kill each other. Then we wouldn't have a Hamel Prince or Altera Queen to worry about."

Eve pulled up a console and summoned Eris and Nike, while Chung pulled his two Silver Shooters from nowhere. "You'll pay for this," he snarled, launching a pair of bullets at Kaeli, who flipped away with surprising grace. Eve had surrounded herself and Chung in that shield made of spinning drones again, pulling out her atomic blaster again. "PLASMA!" She yelled, firing.

Yet Kaeli seemed to escape from this attack as well. "In here!" She yelled at nothing in particular. Suddenly, a wave of dark elves seemingly dropped out of the sky, dispelling Eve's shield.

"Dammit," said Chung, realizing there was no way out. The two of them were badly outnumbered, and any movement they made would be disastrous. "Eve?"

The Nasod Queen, however, was already typing away on her console. "Chung, lock and load," she said simply, hoping he would understand her request. He did, drawing power from the Guardian Stone he wore and pulling his Destroyer from virtually thin air.

Eve had opened an entire black hole behind her, some of her weapons popping up from nowhere. "Activate battle command: LUNATIC SCUD," she hummed. "Let's go! OUTRAGE STRIKE!" Yelled Chung, firing a barrage of lock-on missiles as Eve let her entire arsenal go loose.

Everything was _really_ bright for a few moments.

When the light cleared, the room had practically been obliterated. _Thank the El lady we aren't in the ballroom_ , thought Chung. The dust cleared to reveal a single figure, coughing and hacking up blood on the floor- Kaeli.

Chung walked up to her calmly. "Just end it," she choked, turning to spit up another pool of dark liquid. As pristine as ever, Chung drew his Silver Shooter, pointed it at her head, and fired.

The once beautiful room was quiet.

Eve looked Chung in the eye. "I believe we work together much better than against each other," she began, a little hesitant. "So would you consider working with me?"

Chung smirked. "The Deadly Chaser _and_ Nemesis, working together? Jeez, you're going to kill _all_ the competition out there, aren't you?" He joked. Eve tilted her head. "I meant no-"

"It's alright," laughed Chung, holding out his hand. "From now on, we're a team."

Eve met his paw-print gaze, holding her own golden stare.

 _Help doesn't come unless you ask for it.  
_ And she shook his hand. "A team."


	3. Chapter 3: Battle Seraph

MY QUEEN

Chapter 3: Battle Seraph

By MargaritaDaemonelix

 **A/N: The classes for the characters in this chapter.**

 **Elsword as Lord Knight**

 **Aisha as Elemental Master**

 **Rena as Grand Archer**

 **Raven as Blade Master**

 **Eve as Code: Battle Seraph**

 **Chung as Tactical Trooper**

 **Ara as Asura**

 **Add as MasterMind**

 **Elesis as Grand Master**

 **Lu as Noblesse**

 **Ciel as Royal Guard**

 **Warning: long chapter ahead. Mostly centered around Eve. Read at your own risk.**

 **Enjoy!**

 _The divine queen rose from her rest, looking around. "What-what happened?" She asked._

 _No one, not even her eternal knight, could answer the question._

The floor creaked and groaned as Elsword pulled his sword out of yet another broken, corrupted Nasod. "This is stupid," he muttered under his breath as Raven sent a slicing blow at a group of Nasods, which promptly collapsed. "What's the point of all this? We aren't getting anywhere!"

Aisha found the time to smack him in the back of the head with her winged staff. "Shut up and fight!" She yelled, pulling out just in time to blast fire at a Nasod that had been sneaking up on Rena, who finished picking off a few sentries from a safe distance. "Thanks, Ai~" Said the elf, intending to give the petite girl a large hug.

A sudden screech pierced the air as a single blade-wielding Nasod jumped out. "It's the Crow Warrior!" Yelled Chung, realizing that it was indeed the android modeled after Raven. Rena made a sound like _hmph_ and pulled out a handful of glowing arrows, trying to catch it with a good shot. "It's no use!" Growled Elsword, raising his blade to charge at the android. "It's too fast!"

Ara closed her eyes, and when they opened, they were red. "Not too fast for me!" She snickered as her black hair turned white, her hair bow became ears and a fan of elegant white tails blossomed behind her. Her spear sliced through the air as she sought out her target. Suddenly, it was gone, and a wave of similar, yet smaller warriors appeared, pushing her into a corner. "Dammit!" She yelled, swiping out with a fox's claws in retaliation. A few electrical bursts from Add pushed the Nasods away. ""My El lady, you vixen…"

The others were facing similar difficulties with the Raven clones. "Raven, I swear I will never say this again," shouted Chung as he smacked a few clones in the face relentlessly with cannon, "but _why the heck do you have to be so strong?!"_ Raven, who was busy fighting a few clones of his own, grunted. "Don't ask me. I'm just an innocent bystander."

A voice echoed through the room. " _Please close your eyes_ ," said Eve as she jumped up into the air, lit all her LEDs at once, and knocked out most of the clones at once. The others managed to pick off the remaining clones and the original Crow Warrior easily. "Thanks there, Eve," said Elsword, smoothing down his hair as he stood up, "you really got us out of a tight spot there."

Eve tilted her head in confusion. "It is necessary to understand one's race," she stated blandly. "The eyes of ancient Nasod are made to withstand light. These fabricated models are not."

Add snorted. "Says the one whose drones go haywire twice a week," he muttered. Eve turned to him, a rare teasing fire in her eyes as a pissed-off Moby and Remy floated up. "Says the one who tried to steal my code by installing _hoverdrives in his shoes_."

The white-haired scientist turned red in the face as the others laughed a little, remembering _that_ fiasco. "Let's proceed. We need to continue moving," insisted Eve, who didn't laugh but smiled.

It was that smile that always made Chung's stomach roll over. It was so hard to see Eve smile, especially when she claimed to have no emotions. He smiled as he watched the Nasod help their comrades patch up sores, old and new.

Chung's shell of armor prevented him from suffering any major injuries, but he was covered in bruises from all the times he'd fought against blade-wielding enemies, and nothing stopped chemicals and bacteria from entering the Freiturnier. Underneath the iron casing, Chung was still vulnerable. He could just take the pain a lot more than most thought.

Aisha winced a little as Elsword wrapped a bandage tightly around her arm, the healing salve Rena had provided stinging her skin. "That actually kinda hurts," she complained, wringing her arm out after Elsword fastened the bandage into place. "Hey, not my fault," defended the knight, although he lessened his grip on her arm.

Rena ran around, giving everyone the supplies they needed, while Add tinkered with the calibrations on Raven's mechanical arm and Ara sharpened everyone's weapons with her claws. Only Eve stood with nothing to do, her long silver hair flowing in the slight breeze as she stood over a portion of what once was her home, silently observing every detail.

Chung quietly walked over, lugging his Destroyer behind him. "Hey, Eve," he said softly, hoping not to scare the girl clothed in white. "Ah-Yes," she stuttered, having been startled nonetheless. "I am sorry for my incognito status, Prince Seiker."

The cannon-wielding boy chuckled. "You really are funny, Eve," he said, rubbing the top of her head affectionately. "I told you not to call me Prince Seiker! I am Chung, and I won't call myself a Seiker until we can save Hamel from the invasions."

"..." Eve processed the information silently as Chung pulled a few scraps of metal out of his armor and put them back together, placing the little flower he'd just created on Eve's hairband. Before Eve could ask what it was for, Rena's lilting voice came flowing over.

"Hey, you two lovebirds, we're going~!"

Chung sighed, turning around. "Let's go. We have to take back your throne, right?"

Eve smiled a little. "Yes," she said, bringing Moby and Remy back to attention. The two jumped off the little platform and rejoined their friends for the next battle.

* * *

"Eve, you seem a little down."

At the sound of her name, Eve immediately perked up. "Nasod do not have emotions," she said for what must have been the millionth time. Aisha smiled sadly and sat down beside the Nasod queen. "I know. But seriously, you don't seem like yourself."

"I…" That human seemed to know her too well. Eve sighed. "Very well."

She turned to the mage. "Have you ever felt the need to help out more?" She asked quietly. Aisha twisted her low pigtails calmly, thinking about the question. Finally, she decided to speak.

"Your code," she said, pointing to Eve, "do you remember how you found the Electra code?"

Eve nodded. The El search party had been travelling through Elder when Eve had discovered a code modification that allowed her to make use of El-powered laser beams. She'd instantly installed it into her system, which had come in handy in keeping Add away.

They eventually just gave up and let him join them anyways, so he could study Eve _without_ losing his teeth. Or limbs. Or life.

"You see, the other day, when Raven, Chung and I were raiding a storage room or something, we came across a disc. Chung nearly smashed it," she recalled, chuckling. "Raven thought it might come in handy, so we brought it to Add. He said it contains a file-a code called "Battle Seraph". I don't know if he's tinkered with it or not, but I have it here." She withdrew the code disc from her white overcoat. "Maybe you can use it to upgrade yours."

Eve took the disc with both hands, unsure of what to do. Finally, she just plugged it into her console, unlocked a few files with blazing speed, and opened the code.

"This code seems to be compatible with my Electra code," she said. "In fact, it appears to be a specialized upgrade for the Electra code. Should I attempt the transfer?"

Aisha shrugged. "Your body, your code, your call," she said before standing up and walking away, leaving Eve to make a decision.

The young queen of the Nasod looked down at the console and the disc in her lap, slowly realizing that if she absorbed the code as her own, she wouldn't just be Eve.

She would be finally worthy of being a queen of Altera.

Her mind made up, Eve took a deep breath in. This wasn't the first time she had to input a new code. The Code: Electra hadn't hurt at all. This would be nothing compared to other wounds she'd suffered and survived with.

Her fingers flying over the keys, Eve typed in a command- "execute [CODE: BATTLE SERAPH]"- and hit the enter key. For a moment, nothing happened. Everything was peaceful.

As Eve's tortured scream filled the air, however, Chung realized something was _very_ wrong. He ran into the room just in time to see Eve's limp form, crackling with electricity, fall unconscious to the ground, her eyes closed and the El gem on her forehead dark.

"MISS EVE!"

* * *

"Well, the good news is, she'll live," grumbled Add as his Dynamos spun around Eve, who was lying on a soft bed provided by the Pongos. "And the new code is compatible with Electra."

"Then what's the bad news?" Demanded Elsword, leaning on a chair. "The bad news is that when the Battle Seraph code settled into her system, one of her circuits fizzed out because it was already deteriorating," said Add. "I fixed it, don't worry."

"So… Is she going to be alright?" Asked Ara, uncertainty tainting her voice. Add waved it off. "She'll be _fine._ Heck, I'm actually not all that worried about her. I'm more worried about her console."

"Why the console?" Wondered Rena innocently. Add snorted. "Because it's a freaking _monster_ of a digital device. She can control just about anything with it. The shock fried some of its insides. I managed to rewire the internal stuff, but it still looks kinda funny."

He turned around in the doorway, his long white hair whipping around with him. "Oh yeah. By the way, kids, she _needs her rest_ , so I suggest everyone here leaves, maybe except one person who has _some_ knowledge of technology who can help her if she wakes up."

He walked out without another word. Ara immediately fumed. "That heartless jerk," she muttered, not bothering to pick up her spear as she stormed out of the room. Raven and Rena, the default "parents" of the group, glanced at each other. "I'll talk to her," said Rena, walking out as gracefully as ever, her feathery dress trailing behind her.

"I'll stay," volunteered Raven, refluffing his collar and sitting down beside Eve. Elsword stared worriedly at Ara's spear. "I want to give that back to Ara, but at the same time, she might have infused it with… _Something_ ," he said. Aisha rolled her eyes. "Of _course_ she did, Cherry."

Elsword fumed. "Really? Then how about _you_ bring it to her, Grape?" He demanded. "While she's mad at Add? Yeah right. I'd rather not have my face clawed off," countered the mage.

Raven sighed. "On second thought, Chung, you're staying."

Chung blinked. "I am?"

Raven nodded. "I have to take these two _kids_ to find a place where they can have a time out," he muttered. Elsword and Aisha both took a moment to process that. "HEY!"

Chung watched as Raven dragged the redhead and the purple-haired girl out by their ears. "I really hope this is all worth it," he murmured as he sat down beside Eve.

"Chung."

The blonde teen looked down in surprise to find Eve, wide awake and staring at him. "Miss Eve, you're awake," he gasped. "Oh my El lady, don't move. I'll find Add. Hopefully Ara hasn't murdered him by now. Can she murder him if she doesn't have her spear? I don't even know anymore…"

Eve's voice seemed a little desperate. "Chung," she called again. "Yeah?" Said Chung, snapping out of his panic.

"Where is my console?" She asked. Chung flinched as he heard Eve's innocent voice.

"About that…" Chung grimaced. "Add said when you got shocked from the code, your console got fried," he said, keeping his tone steady. "He tried to fix it, but he says it's not the same."

He pressed the once perfectly round console into Eve's hands. Now, as Eve looked at it, she realized that not only the interior had been destroyed. Her console was still circular in shape, but with three little handle-like objects around it. When she pressed the power button, the silver console lit up with pink light and floated just out of her grasp, the holographic keyboard hovering above it.

A smile lit up on Eve's face. "I believe it will be alright," she said, turning the power back off as Moby and Remy, her drones, hovered around it, chirping in excitement. Chung sighed in somewhat relief as Eve set the console beside herself and laid back on her pillows, relaxed.

"I assume we will be leaving for Altera's Core as soon as I am fit?" She asked softly. Chung nodded. "We won't go anywhere if one of our friends can't."

Eve froze. "Friend?" She asked, blushing and pronouncing the word like it was foreign to her. "Yeah," Chung replied, confused by her reaction. "You are one of our friends, after all."

And Eve smiled.

* * *

"El Crystal Spectrum," muttered Eve under her breath as she zipped across the room, knocking aside the mechanical mockeries called Nasod with her lasers. She cycled through the modes-Amplify, Spectrum, Reactive, Fusion-wait. Eve was positive there was no "Fusion" mode in her El Crystal Spectrum. Out of curiosity, she activated it and sent a Particle Ray through it.

The beam went into the field as a single, thin ray of light, and came out as three thick, homing beams that knocked the uppity out of the robots that were surrounding Rena. "Thanks, Eve," yelled the elf, but Eve had no time to respond as the almost endless wave of machinery rolled onto them.

Occasionally, Eve would see someone else in the battle- the ruff on Raven's collar, the tip of Elsword's sword, a flash of purple light as Aisha teleported, Ara's tails, Add's flickering dynamos, Rena's feathers and Chung's Destroyer- but it would only last a second before they'd wade back into the fray. Eve herself was always on point, never letting her guard down at all, pouring all her energy into her attacks and blasting back the so-called "Nasods" that had taken over her home.

Fusion Mode helped, of course, and, Eve realized, she could stand at a safe distance and fire her attacks, just like Rena did. Charging another ball of electricity, she shot out another laser beam and let the force field do the rest.

After what felt like hours, the endless wave stopped, and Eve took in a deep breath. "I am sorry," she said, feeling a little guilty. Elsword snorted. "No need to be sorry. It's _not your fault_ , for the last time! We'd never blame you for this."

Eve nodded, but the aching feeling in her chest didn't disappear. In fact, it seemed to get worse, and it wasn't centered around her emotion circuit.

She sunk to her knees, much to the horror of the El search party. "Eve!" Exclaimed Rena, pulling out a package of healing herbs, then, realizing they were no use, grabbed Add by the cat hood and dropped him in front of Eve. "Fix her!"

Add glared at the eccentric elf. "I am alright," insisted Eve, though the pain in her chest told her otherwise. "You exhausted yourself," said the white-haired scientist, after checking a few gauges on her console, "you should be resting, or at least not using your Fusion Mode for a while."

Eve seemed disgruntled at that, but didn't say anything about it. For the rest of the battle, she stayed behind everyone else, firing Particle Rays at the enemy from a distance and not saying a word. Chung walked up to the other female team members, who seemed to understand Eve better than anyone else. "Rena-san, Ara-san, Aisha-san, is Miss Eve alright?"

Aisha made a sound like air was escaping a balloon. "She'll be _fine_ ," drawled the mage. "She's just a little pissed that she can't use the new, totally epic mode she was using anymore."

Beside her, Ara looked like she was deep in thought. "If Eve exhausted herself, does that mean she needs more energy to power the new code?" She pondered. Rena smacked her fist in her open palm. "Yes! I have an idea!"

She ran off, leaving the others thoroughly confused. "RENA- Ah crap, she won't hear, will she," yelled Elsword, running after her but stopping short after he lost sight of her. After what seemed like hours later, she came running back, holding a piece of glowing El. "Where'd you get _that?_ " Demanded Raven, slightly worried for Rena's sanity.

The blonde elf grinned. "Remember back in the Pongos' village, they kept telling us to use Dark El as a source of energy?" She didn't bother pausing to listen to everyone's reactions before continuing. "I think you can use this!"

As everyone's focus shifted to the large shard of El that Rena held out, they realized that it was indeed a Dark El shard. "A lot of mages and warriors use the Dark El to generate energy," realized Aisha. "I figured, if you can somehow fuse this to your power source, wouldn't it give you lots of energy to fight with?" Pressed Rena.

Eve blinked as everyone turned their gazes to her. "Well," she managed, "I can try, on the condition that Add does not interfere."

Ara grinned. "Done!"

The mad scientist scowled and moved away from the ebony-haired girl.

Carefully, Eve removed the El gem embedded in her forehead and pressed the Dark El to it. Slowly, with a little electricity flowing through her fingertips, the two pieces of El fused together. Rena clapped her hands together in glee as Eve replaced the chunk of El in her forehead.

Chung frowned as Eve stumbled a little. "Are you going to be alright?"

The Nasod queen nodded. "It may take a little getting used to. For now, it will fine."

The team relaxed and got up off their haunches. "Hey Rena," began Chung curiously, "where _did_ you get that chunk of Dark El?"

Rena smiled, snapped her fingers and waved her bow. A trail of green sparkles followed it. "Hey, I'm not an Elf for nothing."

Elsword nearly faceplanted in the metal-plated ground below him. "Elbaka," muttered Aisha.

Raven smacked his forehead. "Let's get going before you kids give me a migraine."

And so, with a now bickering Elsword and Aisha, the El search party continued on.

* * *

A giant hand loomed above the El search party, threatening to grind them to a pulp. " _You dare intrude the rule of the Nasod King?"_ Rumbled a deep voice, bringing the hand down. It never got there.

"Get away from my friends!" Yelled Eve in defiance, holding the hand of the so-called King Nasod away from her friends, shielding them with her own body. "I will not tolerate your persecution of those I treasure any longer!"

Moby and Remy flew up to assist her in pushing the giant hand away, forcing their tiny bodies against the machinery. With a mighty clash, they managed to toss King Nasod's hand to the other side of the control room. "El Crystal Spectrum, activate: FUSION MODE," Eve said as she typed into her console. Instead of the force field she wanted, her system cycled through her three other modes, and wouldn't stop. "What is happening?" She muttered.

King Nasod laughed. " _You see,_ Queen _Eve,"_ he sneered, " _if you have no control over yourself, you are not fit to rule the kingdom of Altera."_

As the horror set in, Eve found herself being launched into the air by the giant hand. "EVE!" Yelled Chung when she landed on a platform and didn't move. Growling, he pounded his cannon into the ground three times, activating the Disfrozen catalyst inside. "Dread Cannon!"

Five missiles pounded themselves into King Nasod's hand, blowing five holes into the shell and knocking it away from Eve. King Nasod made a rumbling noise that was probably meant to sound like a growl, and tried to smack Chung with his hand as well, as the blonde teen tried to help Eve.

A screech rang through the air as Elsword stepped in, blocking the fist with his sword. "A little help here, guys!" He yelled, trying to hold his own against the sheer force of the Nasod King. Raven and Add stepped in to hold it as well, while Rena, Ara and Aisha tried to sever the mechanical arm.

Chung managed to pull the still stunned Eve out of the fray. "Miss Eve, are you okay?" He asked, panicking. The young Nasod queen shook her head as if to get the frizz out, and fixed her stare on Chung, a wild terror dancing in her eyes.

"Prince Seiker, my creation… He's a monster."

Chung shook his head. "You can't give up because of that! If he's become a monster, you've got to prove _you_ aren't one! Letting a tyrant take over is like being that tyrant yourself!"

He ducked as one of Rena's mana arrows sailed over his head. "You need to pull yourself together, miss Eve!" He yelled.

 _You've got to prove that you aren't a monster_.

Eve stood up, her entire body wreathed in pink flames, crackling with electricity. Her console floated behind it, a blue light glowing at its core. "Particle Ray," she said, sending her ever-familiar beam out. Beside it, her console shot out a red laser that seemed to parallel the ray.

King Nasod howled as Eve severed one of his fingers. "Now that's the spirit!" Whooped Elsword, slashing off another giant finger. Beside him, Aisha was alternately freezing, then burning the Nasod King's chest, while Rena impaired his sight with exploding arrows. Add continuously smacked the king in the face with his Dynamos. Ara ran in to slash at the king with spectral claws, nine fox-shaped flickering flames surrounding her. Raven pulled his blade out of the base of an El energy generator, the cylindrical capsule losing its glow. " _NO!_ " Hollered the king.

A lithe figure clothed in white appeared in his line of vision. "You will never hurt my people again," she gasped, holding her hands out in front of her and generating a large amount of energy. "LINEAR DIVIDER!"

Two connected beams shot out of her hands, crossing paths and slicing the king's head off. "I may not be able to control my own systems," she said, as stoic as ever, "but I have friends who are willing to help me. You, on the other hand, tried to exterminate the human race to achieve your goals. For this, you must die."

She charged another attack, sending a beam stronger than her Particle Ray at the king. "GIGA STREAM!" She yelled, her attack nailing the tyrant in the forehead, piercing his vital CPU. As she dropped back to the ground, everyone backed up to avoid the slowly collapsing machinery.

"Everyone out of the room! Once the king implodes, he will blow up virtually the entire Core!" Yelled Add. Elsword looked longingly at the El standing in the centre of the room. "We need to go, Elsword!" Shouted Aisha, a cut on her forehead dripping blood. "But the El!" Protested the redhead.

Eve pulled up her console, now no longer glowing. "We can get the El later. It is virtually indestructible. For now, we must leave."

Elsword didn't look convinced, but he followed Eve as she opened up an elevator to the surface. "Judging by the current speed, King Nasod will implode-slash-explode in two minutes, but this elevator…" Add seethed, pounding on the elevator walls. "We aren't going to get to the top in time."

Ara smacked him in the back of the head. "Stop moving! We're squished enough as is. And besides, we don't need to get to the top, we just need to get to a safe distance away from the explosions!" She glared pointedly at him.

Add looked like he would have argued, but wisely kept his mouth shut. Rena glanced at Raven, a mischievous grin taking over her face despite her exhaustion. Even though there was close to no space in the tiny elevator, Raven found room to smack his palm to his forehead.

Eve kept quiet through the cramped ride, not daring to even make a sound. Chung watched her as she stood silently, deep in thought. It was obvious that she was in some level of pain. "Hey, Miss Eve, are you alright?" He asked. Eve turned to look at him with mournful eyes.

"What… What have I done?"

And because Chung couldn't answer that question, all he could do was hold her close to him and hope that everything would be alright.

* * *

"Alright, alright, court has come to order," barked Add, pounding a little gavel on the table. Eve sat at the very end, not making eye contact with anyone. Beside her sat Chung, trying to comfort her. Raven stood beside Add, leaning casually on his sword, and Adel the Pongo sat at the head of the table.

"We have gathered here today on behalf of her majesty(snicker), Queen Eve of Altera," read Add from his so-called script, "to discuss the events that happened while we journeyed through Altera's Core. Queen Eve, may we _please_ have your perspective."

Eve breathed out, still not making any eye contact. "When I attempted to activate my Fusion Mode, the El Crystal Spectrum malfunctioned and cycled through all my modes," she admitted. "During my confusion, my creation knocked me to the ground."

Raven nodded. "That's what I saw too," he justified. "It was red and green and blue all at once."

Adel stood up, holding onto Raven's mechanical arm for support. "This malfunction may be due to the Dark El," he explained. "For years, here in Altera, we Pongos have been using Dark El to power our town, but before using any form of it, we must first stabilize the El, pong."

"What can Miss Eve use as a stabilizer though?" Pondered Chung. A sudden purple flash blasted itself through the room. "A moonstone," said Aisha nonchalantly.

Everyone stared in shock at the purple haired mage. "Uh, Aisha," began Raven nervously, "you're half stuck in our table."

Aisha looked down and realized that she was indeed knee-deep in the table. "Ehehe…" She teleported herself out with another flash of violet light before turning her wand on the hole in the table. Slowly but surely, it shrunk into nothing. "As I was saying, a moonstone," she repeated.

"Ah! The moonstone's power to even out the Dark El's power will be perfect!" Exclaimed Adel, clapping his hands gleefully. "Do you have any?"

Aisha shook her head. "I had one," she pondered thoughtfully, "but then another me from a different timeline needed it, so I gave it to her. Me. Whatever."

Ignoring the stares of confusion she was getting, she continued. "I got mine from a friend who lives in Feita," she explained. "Then that's where we're going," said Chung, standing up. "Feita."

All eyes turned to Eve. "Miss Eve, it's your call," said the blonde teen. Eve took another deep breath, trying to steady her beating heart.

"Yes."

Add stood up, smacked his gavel on the table one last time, and smirked. "This council has come to order. And I call dibs on this hammer-thing. It's fun."

* * *

"Eve, we've come across a few issues," said Aisha worriedly. She, Eve and Add were in Add's portable laboratory aka. his tent, and trying to fuse the moonstones they'd collected with her El gem. "Elaborate," pressed Eve.

"It won't cooperate," explained Add. "The moonstone will fuse with the El, that's a given. Your emotion circuit, however, is counteracting the fusion."

"Emotion circuit?" Suddenly, Eve understood why she'd felt the way she had when she'd killed her creation, when Chung had held her afterwards, and all the loyalty she felt towards these people whom she had no relation to. Even Add, who was still trying to get a piece of her code to study, was a friend to her. It all made sense.

"I-I shouldn't have an emotion circuit," realized Eve, starting to panic. Add grunted. "And that's why we're going to remove it. Go figure," he said when he saw Eve's terrified face. "Your journeys with these kids have left you memories to hold onto. Therefore, emotions." He waved around inexpressively.

Aisha smacked him in the back of the head with her staff. "We are _not_ kids," she deadpanned. "You're twenty-one. Ara is like, only eight months younger than you, and so's Elesis. Eve was born, like, a thousand years ago. Raven's nearly thirty. Ciel's what, twenty five? Rena will physically _smack you_ if you even so much as _think_ about how old she is, and I don't really want to question how old Lu is."

Add waved her off. "The important question still stands. Eve, do you want to cut your emotion circuit out now?"

Eve was quiet for a moment. "I… I require some time," she managed.

Aisha smiled. "Don't worry. We'll wait."

* * *

"Any reason why you decided to suddenly invite me to have coffee?" Asked Ara curiously as she and Eve sat below a quaint little parasol in a Feita cafe. Eve shrugged. "It is a nice day, and there are no glitters or golems rushing at us. Therefore, I decided to invite you to enjoy coffee together."

Ara laughed, her mismatched eyes flickering with amusement. "You sure are strange, Eve, but I suppose we all are. What did you order?"

"A cappuccino," replied Eve. It was the only type of coffee that she could drink without corroding her internal processors with the sheer level of caffeine. She really didn't understand how some of the other members of the El search party could consume _espressos_ and escape unscathed.

Again, Ara laughed, blowing lightly on her caramel macchiato. "I know, I can't take the bitter either. Oh well. Say, has Add been bothering you recently?"

This question caught Eve mildly off guard. "Well, not really," she stuttered. "Why?"

The ebony-haired girl shrugged, sipping her warm drink delicately. "I need a human punchbag," she joked, "and when that jerk tries to hurt you, it gives me the perfect opportunity to practice on him." She grinned in that sweet Ara way of hers that washed over Eve like a mug of warm milk.

"What is your relationship with him, Ara?" Asked Eve, trying out her own drink and finding it cool enough to consume. Ara blushed a little, though she managed to hide it with her mug. "Ergh… Hate/hate?" She offered awkwardly. Eve tilted her head innocently. "I have never met a human who would willingly use another as a punchbag."

Ara smiled. _That's_ what she meant. "I guess it's less hate/hate and more… Frenemies?" She said, trying to wrap her tongue around the awkward word. Eve nodded in understanding. "I do it, and he accepts it, and neither of us really complains about it," explained Ara.

A bell rang as Moby and Remy hopped away from the plate of pastries that Eve had ordered from them, signalling that it was three o'clock. "Ara, I apologize, but I must be on my way. I have an errand to run," she said, standing up and bowing slightly. Ara looked alarmed, but didn't question it. "I guess… Coffee will have to wait until next time?"

Eve smiled genuinely. "I promise there will be a next time," she said, "and that there will be pumpkin pastries." Ara grinned. "Of course! Now go ahead. I'll pay."

As she watched Eve's retreating figure disappear into the Feita crowd, she couldn't help but wonder a little. "Huh… Are we really meant to be frenemies?"

* * *

An earth-shattering _thwunk_ echoed through the air as Ciel put a bullet through the target with his cross blaster. "Bullseye~," sang Lu from her perch in a tree. Eve smiled as she watched the demonic duo played together, as lively as ever.

"Oh, hey Eve!" Called Lu, waving to the Nasod. "Come join us! We're messing around with the targets."

Ciel snorted. "Just ignore miss Lu," he yelled, "but come over anyways."

Lu _harrumphed_ and smacked Ciel in the back of the head. "That's what you get for trying to tease your kind master!"

"You mean the kind master who's not getting any dessert tonight?" Hummed Ciel. Lu gasped. "NO! I DEMAND DESSERT!"

Eve watched their playful banter, a little regret wrenching her heart. She'd only gotten to know them so little, and now, she'd have to change completely.

Then again, Lu was a demon, and Ciel had been an assassin when he was younger. They'd faced heaven and hell together, and everything in between. They'd probably handle the situation well. "Good afternoon, Lady Sourcream, Ciel," she said, as formally as possible.

Lu stopped struggling against Ciel's death grip and turned to Eve. " _Pleease_ , never call me that!" She drawled. "I'm just me-Lu. Heck, I'm barely an Abaddon anymore, much less a Sourcream! Daddy probably disowned me ages ago." She turned back to Ciel. "And you, mister! Don't act like you can use your impeccable height on me!"

Ciel made a noise that sounded like something between a sneeze and "144-loli". Lu gasped and lunged at him, smacking his chest with both her fists. "I'll have you know that I'm _two_ seconds away from bringing out the gauntlet, mister!"

Noticing how the two were getting progressively closer and closer, Eve decided to make her retreat. Her experience with the demon noble and her butler, however… Had given her some ideas about emotion and its potential.

Eve pulled out her checklist and ticked "Lu and Ciel" off. "Elesis," she whispered, gliding off to find the red-haired knight.

* * *

As expected, Eve ended up running into Elesis _and_ Elsword, who (as always) fervently denied the whole "sister complex" thing that Aisha often teased him for.

The mage herself was watching Elsword pester his sister with questions about where she'd been, who she'd met, what kinds of food she'd eaten(of course, it's Elsword, what did you expect?) and the like. By the look on her face, Aisha was quite amused.

"It's amazing how different Cherry becomes the moment he's within three metres of Elesis," she chuckled to Eve, who nodded. She'd never had "family" before-she'd been created by the Core, although the Alteran ruler before her, Queen Astarte, had been a maternal figure in her life before the downfall of Altera. She could only assume the "sister complex" that Aisha speculated was related to the science of human emotions.

"Good afternoon, lady Elesis," said Eve stoically, as she always did when she addressed the freelance knight. Elsword's sister or not, her fierce determination in battle was just a _little_ intimidating, although it did prove to be a result of trying to train Elsword to hold a sword properly.

… Aisha really never did give up on trying to tease the poor boy.

Elesis smiled kindly, the twinkle in her eyes reminding Eve of Astarte. "Hullo, Eve," she said simply. "Just Elesis is fine."

"..." Eve was silent for a few moments as Elsword continued to pelt Elesis with questions. Elesis took the opportunity to stuff a wad of cloth in her brother's mouth, effectively halting his rant. "Woah, Elesis," muttered Aisha. "What was _that_?"

Elsword spat out the piece of fabric. "Yeah, what _was_ that?!" He demanded. Elesis smirked. "A sock. As in, put a sock in it." She chuckled as she saw his horrified expression. "You really need to be patient, Elsword. I'm tryna' talk to a friend, here!"

Eve shrunk a little. She'd known Elesis for less than a week, and the fierce young woman already considered her a friend. "So, Eve, how are the moonstones coming along?" Asked Elesis.

"... There have been… Complications," admitted Eve, "but for the most part, the operation is working smoothly." She glanced at Aisha, who smiled and nodded in confirmation.

Elesis grinned happily, stabbing her massive claymore into the dirt she was standing on. "If anything happens and you need a hand, just give me a holler, 'kay?" She said, her eyes bright. Eve bowed her head a little. "Yes. Thank you, Elesis."

Elsword, who had managed to get the taste of Elesis' sock out of his mouth, turned to his sister again. "Sis~ Tell me about Velder," he whined, which Eve did not know Elsword was capable of doing. The way Aisha looked at him clearly indicated she'd had enough of it.

Elesis sighed. "I guess I'll see you around, Eve," she said. "I have a whiny little brother to take care of." She winked at Eve, who flinched a little in response. A moment later, she understood the joking intention behind it, but by then, Elesis was already dragging Elsword off, Aisha tailing behind them.

Eve's longing gaze followed them, but she said nothing as she continued on to find the next person on her list.

* * *

"Any reason why you're giving me the code willingly?" Grumbled Add, though by the way his eyes sparkled, he was most definitely pleased. Eve tilted her head. "You offered to help with my new code, so to repay you, I am giving the basic coding for a Nasod."

In her hands was the hard drive with the key coding for a basic Nasod. Add looked a little skeptical, but he took the hard drive. "Thanks, Eve. I figure I'll stop bothering you for it."

Eve made a sound like a dying walrus. "Thank you," she muttered as she glided away.

He might be a friend, but he was still a heartless jerk, as Ara put it.

* * *

"Ah~ The sunset is always beautiful to watch~"

"You always say that, Rena."

"Well it's true!" Yelped the elf, smacking Raven in the arm playfully. The two hardened warriors and Eve were sitting on a small hill in Feita, enjoying a bite to eat as the golden sunset illuminated the serene village. The others had long since gone to bed- Lu strictly fell asleep at eight-thirty, while Ara tended to sleep at around nine. The remaining team members, exhausted by a day of running errands all around Feita, had succumbed to their fatigue at varying points afterwards. As a Nasod, however, Eve never really "needed" sleep, and years of night patrol had trained Raven and Rena to survive on minimal amounts of sleep.

"Pass the cookies, Eve," said Raven, reaching over with his human hand. Eve calmly placed the package of Phoru-shaped cookies she'd purchased from the bakery earlier. "Enjoy." Raven grunted out his thanks and popped a cookie in his mouth, savouring the crunch and the El nuts baked into it.

Rena turned to Eve, who was sipping a Fire El smoothie calmly. "Any reason why you called us here to see the sunset?" She asked, a mischievous spark enveloping her eyes. Eve, seeing that the elf wouldn't let the matter drop until she had an answer, sighed. "I gathered you here to say goodbye."

Raven nearly choked on his cookie. "What?" He spluttered. "You're leaving?"

Eve paused, trying to rephrase her words. "In a sense, yes," she finally said, choosing her words carefully. "The Eve you will see next week will not be the same Eve you see now."

Rena smiled sadly. "I figured something like this would happen. Is it because of Battle Seraph?"

Eve nodded. "To activate the code… I will need to terminate my emotion circuit," she admitted. "Ah," said Rena, her voice and eyes a million miles away.

"That's not that bad, right?" Asked Raven, having recovered from his shock and turning back to his cookies. "You'll still remember all of us, right? You'll never forget anything, because you're a Nasod- you'll hold all memories forever." He smacked himself in the head with his human hand. "Damn. That sounded way better in my head."

 _You've been spending too much time around Rena. You're starting to sound like her_ , thought Eve, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. "I see what you mean. The importance of the emotion circuit is so that I will be able to take morals and values from memories," she said instead, frowning. "Without it, any memories are rendered useless."

Rena smiled warmly at Eve, her jubilant grin filling the empty corners of the Nasod's heart with joy and love. "Hey, you'll still remember all the good memories, and that's all that matters."

Eve was speechless as those warm words sunk in. Raven looked up into the now dark sky. "Well, we'd better get going back. They're going to close the gates soon," he commented as he stood up, brushing the crumbs off his long coat. Rena and Eve stood up, the latter still shocked.

Together, they walked down the hill, their minds full of aspiration for the future.

* * *

Eve stood in the ruin of her former home, memories of more graceful times beginning to flow back to her. "Miss Eve, is everything alright?" Asked Chung softly, his beautiful blue eyes taking in everything around him. Eve shook her head. "It will be alright. I am just… Worried for the future of my people. I will need some assistance, Pri-Chung."

Chung smiled. "Of course, Miss Eve. I'll help, no matter how hard the task!"

Seeing the teenager's bright enthusiasm somehow brought warmth to Eve's heart, as she nodded in response and began walking through the halls she once called home.

The throne room was as grandiose as ever, but as Eve looked closer, she could see where the years had rotted away the tapestries that hung on the walls, the lavish cushioning on the throne and even the colourful glass windows. "They say a ruler of Altera had a secret room behind this throne," she murmured, walking up to the seat she'd sat upon, what only felt like a week ago.

Chung watched with a sort of silent curiosity as Eve went through the remains of her throne room, the royal gardens, even the royal kitchens. By the time they reached Eve's personal chambers, she was clearly in a lot of distress. "I had two handmaidens," she recalled. "One named Apple and one named Proto. They were very good companions, and very kind."

She took a deep breath and opened the door, a spark of hope remaining. Instead, all she found were the tattered ruins of her bed, something that looked like it once might have been her workbench, a few metal beams in the shape of a chair and a rotting cabinet filled with shreds of her clothing. "Oh."

It surprised Chung to hear Eve make such a sound, but he said nothing as Eve brushed her fingertips across the top of her desk, tracing them across what might have been a lamp and pausing where the power button would have been. "Chung, will you accompany me to the archives?" She asked, her golden eyes flashing with immense sorrow as she held out a hand. He took it quietly, and for a moment, they just stood there, bathing in the faint light of Eve's El gem.

A trickle of dust made its way to Chung, who sneezed, breaking any and all serenity in the chamber. The sound of his sneeze echoed throughout the entire palace, and as Eve listened, she could have sworn it was leading towards the archives. "Let's go," she murmured.

Chung smiled. "Of course."

* * *

The last piece of metal blocking the entrance to the archives crashed into a giant pile of similar pieces, as Chung dusted off his gloves. "Is it clear now?" He asked Eve, who was typing rapidly into her console. "I believe so," she said. With a hiss, the door of the Alteran Archives opened.

It was nothing like the grand hall that Eve once knew. The room still glowed faintly with El, and the consoles still floated with holograms, but parts of the ceiling had caved in. Eve could see where plants had grown into the walls, something she'd previously thought would have been impossible. A few of the consoles had crashed to the ground.

If she was devastated, Eve didn't show it. She just kept on walking through the hallway, looking on to find where Queen Astarte's console was. Chung, however, was a little more observant, and kept pausing to look at consoles that he found interesting. One in particular caught his eye.

"Hey Miss Eve, isn't that you?" He asked, pointing to a hologram. Eve turned around and walked back, wondering why she would be in the Golden Age archive section. "Look, it even says your name on it." Chung blinked. "Wow. Never knew you wore dresses like that."

Eve blushed. "That is not me," she stammered, realizing who it was. "That is Empress Eve of the Golden Age of the Nasod Empire. She ruled the empire after Empress Adalia. Although her rule was fair and prosperous, she was not ruler for a very long time."

"Why not?" Asked Chung, having ruled out rebellion and assassination from the list. Eve winced. "There was a demon attack during her rule, and she was killed in battle."

"... Oh." Chung hadn't expected Eve to be so blunt, but this was someone who shared the same golden eyes and silver hair as her, and had been killed. It had probably weighed down on her heart quite a bit. "She is recorded to have died in the arms of a prince of Hamel," read Eve, glancing at Chung briefly before continuing on. "He was known as the Iron Paladin of Senace."

Somehow, that nickname sounded familiar to Chung. "Now where have I heard that…" He muttered. "Empress Eve was one of my namesakes," explained Eve. "The other one was queen during a more turbulent time."

She turned to keep walking, leaving Chung startled as he tried to match her swift pace. "After the death of Empress Eve, Altera and Hamel were both attacked by demons," she explained. "Because of Empress Eve's connection to the Iron Paladin, Empress Tania, who was Empress Eve's successor, continued the alliance with Hamel."

Chung thought back to some of the history textbooks his father had forced him to read. "Wasn't Hamel overrun by demons a long time ago?" He recalled, flinching as the realization that _this isn't the first siege we've suffered_ ran through his spine. Eve nodded. "When King Benzene died, Queen Eve of the Dark Days succeeded him."

They stopped at another console, which Eve had to reboot to get working again. "During her rule, Altera was struggling, but she was able to prevent major catastrophe." The console hummed before floating up and revealing the image of another Nasod with silver hair and golden eyes, her hands clasped delicately in the folds of her black dress. "She doesn't look like the type to stop revolutions," pointed Chung. Eve tilted her head and frowned. "The other image should have appeared-"

The hologram of the young queen suddenly disappeared, only to be replaced by a hologram of what appeared to be the same Nasod, but clothed in black armor, an array of spears protruding from her back. "Ah," said Chung, realizing why she looked so familiar, "she married a King of Hamel, didn't she? I'm sure that was in one of my history textbooks."

Eve nodded. "Yes. According to what resources we have, Queen Eve was a queen in the daytime, but at night, she became the assassin Nemesis. At one point, the assassin known as the Deadly Chaser was hired to kill her by a dark elf named Kaeli Camdyn."

"That's my ancestor!" Blurted Chung. "Wait, the Deadly Chaser, not the dark elf…" He muttered sheepishly as Eve glared at him. "Yes. Your ancestor was a prince of Hamel at the time, but he eventually became the king after his father's death."

"Do you know what happened to them?" Asked Chung. Eve shook her head. "The last recorded note of the two is forty-seven years after their marriage, when a wandering minstrel encountered them. According to the minstrel, they were searching for solace. Their last recorded location is somewhere in Sander, which at the time was considered too far to travel to from Altera."

Chung frowned as he put together the puzzle pieces and realized that one was missing. "If they're missing, then how do you have her code?" He asked. Eve looked back at the ancient text flowing out of the console. "It is written here that she registered her code before leaving," she explained.

Now, Chung realized where he had heard both names. "Eve, I think I know who the Iron Paladin and the Deadly Chaser were," he gasped, grasping her hands tightly. "Do elaborate," she pressed. "They were _my_ namesakes-Prince Chung Seiker of Hamel," he said, his voice urgent.

Eve was silent for a moment. Then, in a move that Chung never thought was possible, she smiled-no, she smirked, she grinned, she _outright beamed_. In that moment, to Chung, she was a shining star, vibrant and full of light and power.

"It may very well be fate that we have met, then," she said, that beautiful smile still adorning her face. Chung smiled back, his blue eyes shining with a strange warmth that Eve had never seen. It wasn't like Elesis' joking smirk, nor was it like Ara's sisterly grin, nor was it anything like Rena's maternal, soft smile. It was a different light that echoed in his eyes that somehow made Eve feel so uncomfortable, but so at home, and so…

Loved.

Chung seemed concerned. "Miss Eve, are you okay? You just flinched, out of the blue," he said, worry lining his voice. Eve shook her head. "I-I have not been honest with you," she admitted. "To install the new code to my system, I will need to terminate my emotion circuit."

Unlike Aisha and Add, who delivered this piece of news calmly, and Rena and Raven, who took it calmly, Chung immediately tightened his grip on Eve's hands. "But Miss Eve-!" He nearly shouted, his instant anguish appearing in his face. "You can't terminate your emotions! Won't you forget all of us if you do?" He shook his head. "No, what am I saying? If it's for the code, you should do it. You need to restore the Nasod Empire, right? Just ignore me."

He let go of her hands, turning away from her. "I'll shut up now," he said quietly, not daring to even glance at Eve, let alone make eye contact. All the emotions were swimming in his head, in the lake of despair, and nothing would pull them out-

"Chung."

At the sound of his name being called, Chung immediately snapped back to attention. Eve was standing on a piece of scrapped metal, bathed in sunlight. In that moment, he'd never seen anything more beautiful than the Nasod queen clothed in white. For the first time, he truly understood why the code she was using was named _Battle Seraph_.

She smiled in that Eve way of hers, that way that always made Chung's heart flutter and brought rosy colour to his cheeks. "I will _never_ forget, Chung. _Never_ ," she promised.

Tears began to drop out of Chung's eyes as he rushed forward, his Destroyer clashing unceremoniously to the floor as he wrapped his arms around Eve, despite being shorter than her. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Just Eve and Chung, together.

" _Aren't they pretty?" Asked the knight in his fair armor, pointing up at the stars. The queen's gaze followed his hand. "Yes," she said._

 _The stars seemed to glow a little brighter._

* * *

A chuckle escaped from beneath the dark metal mask that so many identified with Glaive, the administrator of Henir's Time and Space. "I was wondering along which generation they'd realize that all these relations between the two greatest names in Altera and Hamel weren't just coincidence," he laughed to himself, juggling his dice in one hand as he watched Chung and Eve walk out of the Altera palace, hand in hand. With his free hand, he made a motion that sped up his view of the events.

He saw Add, Aisha and Chung in a room, with Eve in a machine, being operated on. He saw Rena's squeal of glee when Eve, clothed in spiky battle armor, walked out of the laboratory, and Ara's dance of victory. He saw them all grow up to become fine warriors, he saw Raven propose to Rena, he saw Lu restore order in the demon lands and Ciel becoming her royal strength, he saw Elesis training soldiers in Velder, he saw Elsword and Aisha's wedding, he saw Add and Ara, mending their broken ends, and he saw Eve and Chung, not caring at all what the world threw at them. "It's the same, every time," he muttered.

One die floated up, glowing. A little concerned, Glaive snatched it out of the air with his other hand. Upon reading what it had to say about the fabric of the cosmos, he laughed again, the resonating sound spiralling into the abyss all around him.

"So it's about to begin," he muttered, a psychotic grin spreading across his face underneath that mask of his. "Is time being rewritten again? Oh, I sure am going to miss torturing those _poor_ children."

He frowned a little. "Then again, if time is being rewritten, they should come back." He turned to the abyss, which was slowly filling up with the blue light of El.

"Glaive."

His hand flying to his weapon holster, Glaive turned around to intercept the newcomer. Instead, he chuckled. "Don't see you 'round here often, Luto. What brings you back?"

The former administrator grinned. "Why, I heard time was being rewritten," he said, "by the powers that may be, because a certain queen of the Nasod and a certain prince of Hamel realized that a _certain_ administrator of the cosmos was messing around with them."

Glaive put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I get bored around here sometimes," he argued. Luto rolled his eyes as he looked at the Nasod queen and the Hamel prince throw snowballs at each other and their friends. "If they really realized what kind of a special relationship they have, I wish they could be together in this rewritten time, too," said Luto wistfully. Glaive nodded.

"I'll see that it works out for them. For now… Let's just let them live."

 **A/N: Hullo, FanFiction! You heard Glaive! The cosmos are being rewritten! That means… DRUMROLL PLEASE… I am writing a new fic! That's right, it will tell the story of the Elgang's travels through Elrios, though whether Rose is going to be in it or not, I have no idea… She might make a cameo or two. Oh well. Thank you for your continued support, and as always, please tell me what you thought about it!**

 **~MargaritaDaemonelix**


End file.
